Controlling apparatus for signal-operating systems for railways.



Patented Apr. .2, Mil.

B. c. now e CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOB SIGNAL OPERATING SYSTEMS FOR BAILWAYS.

(Applicatiqmfiled Yeb. 13, 1899.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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Pat-shied Apr. 2, mm.v

B. c. HOWELL; GQNTBOLLING APPARATUS FOR SIGNAL UPERATING SYSTEMS FOR BAILWAYS.

(Application filed Feb. 13, 1899.

(No Model.)

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llnrrnn STATES ATENT met.

BENTON O. HOWELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ROWVELL POTTER SAFETY STOP COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR SIGNAL-OPERATING SYSTEMS FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,032, dated April 2, 1901. Application filed February 13, 1899. Rerial No.705,436. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENTON 0. Bowen, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented an Improved Con: trolling Apparatus for a Signal-Operating System for Railways, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In Letters Patent No. 599,456, issued February 22, 1898, for an improved signal-operating system for railways I have shown and described a system in which the operation of the power-machine is controlled by two pawls,

each controlled by its magnet and armature, so that energizing one magnet releases its pawl and allows the power-machine to move the rod which operates the signal in one direction and energizing the other magnet releases its pawl and allows the power-machine to move signal-operating rod in the other direction. That device will do its Work satisfactorily so long as no occasion arises for energizing both magnets at once; but in my application for patent for a system of train protection for railways, Serial No. 705,435, filed February 13, 1899, I describe a system in which it is frequently necessary to energize both magnets of my controlling apparatus at the same time, so that it has become necessary to substitute another device for controlling the power-machine which operates the signals.

My invention consists in a power-machine with a shaft under tension provided with two lugs, stops for those lugs, magnets and armatures for controlling the stops, means to connect the stops, so that when one magnet disengages one of the stops from its lug it 8 are details relating to Figs. 3 and 4.

A is the shaft which transmits the power to the signal-operating rod. Mounted on shaft A is gear a which meshes with gear a on shaft A and shaft A is released to allow and locked to prevent the operation of the power-machine P. Mounted on shaft A are the disks B B, which areprovided withlugsb b',one on each disk,the lug b occupyingon disk B an opposite position from that occupied by lug b on disk B. Magnets a a control armatures g g,moun ted on levers 9 the ends g g of which serve as stops for lugs I) Z) on disks B B. LeverF connects both stop-levers g 9 so that Whenever one of the magnets is energized its armature causes the lever to swing on its fulcrum f and to push the armature Whose magnet was not energized away from that magnet, thus throwing the end of one of the levers g g into position to engage thelug on one of the disks B B and withdrawing the other lever from engagement with the lug on the other disk and allowing the shaft A to revolve one hundred and eighty degrees and move the signal-actuating rod.

The operation of the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is as follows: Whenever it is desired to shift a signal, an impulse is sent through the proper magnet-say 0t-and this impulse causes armature g and lever g to move toward the magnet 0., thus releasing the disk B by carrying stop g on lever 9 clear of lug b on disk B and also swinging lever F and moving armature g away from magnet 01. and its lever 9 into the path of lug b on disk B, thus allowing shaft A to revolve until lug b brings up on stop 9 on lever The signal is shifted by movement of shaft A, and shafts A and A are connected by gears a a and revolve together. An impulse through the magnet G will cause a like result; but while a current is flowing through one magnet a like current through the other magnet cannot cause the armature of the other magnet to approach that magnet, because the armature of the second magnet'has been pushed away a greater distance from its magnet by the lever F and is held in that position by the a lever so long as the first magnet is energized.

In that form of my invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 which I have just described disks B and B are connected directly and positively with shaft A through shaft A and gears a and ta so that practically the whole power of machine P acts to hold disk B or B against the stop 9 or 9 and a considerable amount of force is required to be exerted by magnet a or a to disengage its stop from its lug-that is, the escapement of the powermachine is not sensitive, for the reason that the lug Z) or Z) of the escapement mechanism is pressed so strongly against its stop g or g that the magnet a or a must exert a considerable force to withdraw the stop from its lug; but in some cases a more sensitive escapement is required, and in Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown a secondary power-machine with an escapement which is more sensitive and yet wholly positive in stopping the rotation of shaft A after it has been rotated one hundred and eighty degrees by the power stored up in the powerunachine P, and this is the preferred form of my invention.

In the form shown in Figs. 3 and t shaft A is not connected directly with shaft A of power-machine P, but gear 21 is loose on shaft A and connected to it by spring it (see Fig. 8)that is, shafts A and A operate independently, for shaft Ais driven from stored power in power-machine P and shaft A is driven from stored power in spring h. One end of spring h is fast to gear (1 and the other end is fast to shaft A, as shown in Fig. 8. Shaft A carries eccentrics 7t and h ,which operate bolts 9 and g and bolts 9 and g are stops for disks B and B fast on shaft A. Shaft A also carries two disks B B,

which are engaged by stops 9 g on 1evers g 9 which levers carry armaturcs g g of magnets a a and armaturcs g and g are con trolled by lever F, as described, in connection with Figs. 1 and 2. When shaft A is released through the operation of' one of the magnets a or a spring It turns that shaft one hundred and eighty degrees, and that movement of shaft A acts through eccentrics h h to reverse the positions of bolts g 9 and shaft A is thereby momentarily freed and permitted to move, and power-machine P turns it until disk B or 13 brings up on bolt g or g that is to say, when the positions of bolts 9 and g are reversed through the operation of shaft A one of the bolts is retracted and the other is projected into the path of the lug on its disk and power-machine P turns shaft A until the projected bolt engages the lug on its disk. The movement of shaft A,which results from the movement of shaft A, turns gears a and a ,and thereby rewinds spring h. The whole strain on shaft A is that due to the force of spring h, and as the force of this spring can be made much less than the force necessary in the power-machine P the work to be done by the magnets a and a may be greatly lightened. hen shaft A is rotated by the powermachine P, the crank on shaftA shifts the signal and at the same time spring h is rewound. The work done tends to retard the acceleration of the locking-lugs on disks B 13 So long as the current continues through the coils of either magnet a or (1 its armature is held in place, and so long as one armature is held in place by the current it holds the other in place also because of lever F; but in many cases it is important to discontinue the current as soon as the magnet has attracted its armature, and it is therefore, practically speaking, of great importance to provide a lock for the armaturcs g and g, which will hold them both in the position which the last magnet to be operated left them until the other magnet is energized. This I accomplish by means of an extra armature J, which is pivoted to the frame which supports magnets a a and the free end of which lies between magnets a and a and which is moved in one direction by one of those magnets and in the other direction by the other and crosswise of that in which the armaturcs g and g move. Armature J carries a pair of spring-pinsj j, mounted in lugs projecting from it. One of the pinsjj is thrown out by springj so that it projects behind the armature g or g, which is nearer its magnet a or a, while the other presses against the edge of the armature g or g, which is farther from its magneto or (L as will be clear from Figs. 3, 4, and 6, in which pinj is shown as behind and as locking armature g in place,and by thus locking g it will be plain that armature g is also locked through lever F. If a current be sent through the coils of magnet a, the first effect will be to attract armature J and move it away from armature g toward armature g, which will draw pin j clear of armature g and simply press pinj a little more strongly against the edge of armature g, compressing spring 7' Then armature 9 will move toward its magnet to and armature g away from its magnet a, and pinj will then lock armature g, while pin j will be opposite the edge of armature g. The object of this feature of my invention is to lock the armaturcs g and g, so that the vibration caused by the movement of the apparatus or by the passing train cannot shake the active lock g or g clear of the active lug b or b, and thus accidentally unlock shaft A, and this is a matter of a good deal of practical importance in case the current be cut off from the acting magnet as soon as it has attracted its armature, and in many cases it is necessary that the current shall be so cut off.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a power-storing machine the combination of a shaft under tension; two lugs; two stops, one for each lug; magnets for moving each stop into and out of the path of its lug; and means by which the movement of one stop out of the path of its lug causes the movement of the other stop into the path of its lug.

2. In a power-storing machine the combination of a main shaft under tension; two lugs; two bolts, one for each lug; and mechanism to move the locking-bolts simultaneously but in opposite directions.

3. In combination a power-machine; es-

escapement mechanism; means by which the movement of either armature in one direction causes the movement of the other in another direction; locking mechanism preventing the motion of the armatures; and a third armature common to both magnets to control that locking mechanism.

BENTON O. ROWELL.

Witnesses:

B. FRANK HATHAWAY, LOUIS A. DE BERARD. 

